What is reiki?

Reiki practitioners believe that beneficial effects are obtained from a “universal life energy” that practitioners  channel to patients, providing strength, harmony and balance to the body and mind.  Reiki aims to treat health problems and to enable patients to feel enlightened, with improved mental clarity, well-being and spirituality.  Reiki is sometimes administered to people who are dying, with the goal of instilling a sense of peace.  Reiki masters believe that all living beings are affected by universal life energy, and animals may be treated in the same manner as humans.

It has been proposed that Reiki can lower heart rate and blood pressure, boost the immune system, alter hormone levels, stimulate endorphins and affect skin temperature and blood hemoglobin levels.  However, these properties have not been well studied or clearly demonstrated in scientific studies. 

In Reiki treatments, practitioners position their hands in 12 to 15 different positions, which are held for two to five minutes each.  They  may place their hands directly on a clothed patient or hold  their hands one to two inches above the patient.  Practitioners believe that hand positions can cover all of the body systems within 30 to 90 minutes.  The number of sessions varies based on the judgment of the practitioner.  Participants have reported warmth, tingling, sleepiness, relaxation or invigoration during Reiki.  

Sometimes a technique called sweeping is used at the beginning of a session; sweeping involves the practitioner passing hands over the patient.  This technique is proposed to allow the practitioner to detect areas of energy disruption, imbalance or blockage and allows the practitioner to cleanse patients of negative feelings, emotions or physical burdens. 

High quality scientific evidence is not available for this technique. That said, serious adverse effects have not been reported in association with Reiki.  Some Reiki practitioners believe that Reiki should be used cautiously in individuals with psychiatric illnesses.

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